Twenty Peaceful Minutes

Welcome to Twenty Peaceful Minutes (20PM) - a community website for Forney, Texas. In addition to this blog, 20PM is home to the Forney discussion forums, which you may reach by clicking the Forney discussion forum link or going to http://20pm.net/forums; also, considering signing up for email or newsreader (RSS feed) notifications of new posts to the 20PM blog!

While discussing the latest SuperTarget rumors in the Forney Discussion Forums, I decided to do a bit of digging and get in touch with a few people who might be able to confirm or deny what I had been hearing. In the process, I found out that Metropolitan Capital Advisors, Ltd. has been soliciting for an investment into Shafer Plaza at Mustang Crossing. Specifically, of $23.55 million needed to develop and pay-off the development costs for the remaining phase(s) of Shafer Plaza, $4.2 million is being raised from equity investors. One item that has caught several people’s attention is that the information that was distributed about the investment states “If the Sponsorship is able to consummate a deal with SuperTarget…” - read on for more info…
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• Shafer Plaza Expansion - Arby’s, Office Depot?

  As a follow up to an earlier post about Shafer Plaza (the development where Double Dave's, Cold...

• Shafer Plaza

  Sorry it's taken me so long to get the Shafer Plaza info online! The elections and the...

• Shafer Plaza Update

  It's been a while since the last post; work has been incredibly busy and there hasn't been...

According to a Star Telegram article, Fresh Lane Drive-Thru Grocery, which recently opened in Saginaw and has locations opening in Keller and Lewisville this fall, is scouting for a location to open at in Forney. Fresh Lane is a grocery store that operates on a completely drive-thru basis; customers are not allowed inside the store, and instead purchase everything via a drive-thru window. The stores, which are usually under 1,000 square feet, stock about 400 different items.
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• Forney Commons - Update

  Hopefully you've read my previous post about Forney Commons - this is an exciting new development just...

• Hospital in Forney - Summer 2008

  Sorry it's been a while since I've posted any news; I've actually been in the process of...

• Forney Commons - Petsmart, Best Buy & Ross in Forney!

  Sorry it's been a while since the last post, but it's worth the wait! Someone just sent...

As many of you have noticed, the Daily Grind closed down a couple of months ago. From what I’ve heard, while the business was doing well, the owner decided to focus on other things. The space is now being transformed by its new owners into “Fat Dawg’s”, a neighborhood hangout that will serve a full menu and have a full bar along with pool tables, darts and flat-screen TV’s throughout. In addition, pending approval by the City of Forney, the new owners hope to add a patio to the front of the restaurant, and have a lot of exciting plans. For more information, and to stay up to date with the progress on the construction, check out Fat Dawg’s MySpace page. I’ll also post updates here and to the Forney Discussion Forums from time to time.

Oh, and rumors have been going around that the name of the restaurant will be “Fat Dawg’s Backyard Bar”, however, the owner has confirmed that the name will simply be “Fat Dawg’s”. If you aren’t familiar with where the Daily Grind was, it’s at 121 E Hwy 80 in Forney.

Stay tuned, I hope to announce the winner of the first Forney’s Most Wanted over the weekend! In the meantime, I hope everyone has a great afternoon - only a few more hours until the weekend.

• Hong Kong Express Coming Soon

  Well, it's not the Taco Bell or other Mexican food take-out that everyone's asking for these days,...

Several people have been asking for an update to my post from back in April when I announced a CVS will be coming to Forney. From what I’ve heard, CVS has been working with planning & zoning as well as the city council to get the various approvals needed to begin construction. Care United, located near Double Dave’s in Shafer Plaza, is hoping to have a grand opening within a week or two. Be sure to check their website for more details, where you can also check-in online (online check-in isn’t active yet, I’m assuming they won’t activate it until they’re open for business!) - their website is www.careunited.com.

Double Dave’s is having a formal grand opening celebration tomorrow, Thursday, July 19th, with 99.5 The Wolf. Michelle from the Wolf will be at the Forney Double Dave’s from noon to 2PM; they will have 99-cent pizza and you can register to win an autographed Cowboys football.

• Double Dave’s Pizzaworks Grand Opening - Tuesday 7/10

  Double Dave's will be opening tomorrow, Tuesday, July 10th, with the grand opening celebration beginning at 11AM....

• Cold Stone Creamery Grand Opening Tomorrow!

  I just wanted to remind everyone that the Cold Stone Creamery grand opening is Saturday the 27th...

• Forney Residents Lining Up the Night Before for Chick-Fil-A Grand Opening

  Forney residents, excited about the new Chick-Fil-A that opens tomorrow, Thursday, July 12th at 6:30AM, have...

Hong Kong Express is now open in Shafer Plaza near Coldstone and Sonic; Quizno’s, which is located in the same building, looks to be completed and ready to open any day now. Hong Kong Express is open 7 days a week, 11 to 11, and they offer free delivery within a 5 mile radius. Their phone number is 972.552.3988.

Update, July 16th, 1PM: Quizno’s opened today! One of our discussion board members posted to the Forney Discussion Forums and let us know that Quizno’s is now open.

• Hong Kong Express Coming Soon

  Well, it's not the Taco Bell or other Mexican food take-out that everyone's asking for these days,...

• Chick-Fil-A, Sport Clips, Hong Kong Express, Chase & More

  There's a long list of updates this morning, which is great! After a fairly slow time around...

• Joe’s Pizza & Pasta Now Open! Chick-fil-A Update…

  Joe's Pizza & Pasta is now open - they're located at Forney Center, which is at 104...

After a week’s worth of open nominations on the Forney Discussion Forums, twelve sandwich shops and cafes have been nominated to be selected at Forney’s Most Wanted Sandwich Shop or Cafe. To view the twelve nominees and further details, click “Read On” below, or go vote for the sandwich shop or cafe you’d most like to see open in Forney. Discuss which nominee you think everyone should vote for in this discussion on the Forney Discussion Forums.
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• Forney’s Most Wanted: Sandwich Shops & Cafes

  A while back, I ended up, quite randomly, discussing the growth in Forney and my desperate desire...

• Early Voting Begins Today - 16 Constitutional Amendments Before Texas Voters

  Early voting in the November election begins today and runs Monday-Friday from today, Monday, October 22nd through...

• Hong Kong Express Now Open; Quizno’s Opening Soon (Update: Quizno’s Now Open!)

  Hong Kong Express is now open in Shafer Plaza near Coldstone and Sonic; Quizno's, which is located...

Forney residents, excited about the new Chick-Fil-A that opens tomorrow, Thursday, July 12th at 6:30AM, have already begun lining up and camping out in the Chick-Fil-A parking lot, in hopes of being one of the first 100 customers of the new store, winning free Chick-Fil-A for a year. Chick-Fil-A is the 2nd new fast food franchise to open in Forney this week alone, and among countless new restaurants and businesses opening up throughout Forney with the record-breaking growth our city is experiencing.
(Read on …)

• Cold Stone Creamery Grand Opening Tomorrow!

  I just wanted to remind everyone that the Cold Stone Creamery grand opening is Saturday the 27th...

• Double Dave’s Pizzaworks Grand Opening - Tuesday 7/10

  Double Dave's will be opening tomorrow, Tuesday, July 10th, with the grand opening celebration beginning at 11AM....

• Double Dave’s Grand Opening Celebration; Care United & CVS Update

  Several people have been asking for an update to my post from back in April when I...

Double Dave’s will be opening tomorrow, Tuesday, July 10th, with the grand opening celebration beginning at 11AM. They’re located in Shafer Plaza at Mustang Crossing, near FM-548 and Hwy 80. Their phone number is 972-564-DAVE (3283). You can read more about them at their website, but basically they’re a pizza place - most of their locations deliver, they have a pizza buffet (give it a shot - it’s much better pizza than most pizza buffets, in my opinion) and they serve beer. They actually have a unique combination of kid/family-friendly options and adult options - they have big-screen TV’s on the walls that usually feature ESPN. Oh, and try the Peproni Rolls - they’re one of their signature items, and delicious.

• Double Dave’s Grand Opening Celebration; Care United & CVS Update

  Several people have been asking for an update to my post from back in April when I...

• Forney Residents Lining Up the Night Before for Chick-Fil-A Grand Opening

  Forney residents, excited about the new Chick-Fil-A that opens tomorrow, Thursday, July 12th at 6:30AM, have...

• Cold Stone Creamery Grand Opening Tomorrow!

  I just wanted to remind everyone that the Cold Stone Creamery grand opening is Saturday the 27th...

A while back, I ended up, quite randomly, discussing the growth in Forney and my desperate desire for a Chipotle restaurant in or near Forney while in line checking out at the Chipotle in Mesquite. It turns out, the individual I was talking to was in management at Chipotle and said that he had a meeting coming up with some regional management types from Chipotle and he’d mention the growth in Forney and ask them to check it out.

This made me start thinking - how many other restaurants, fast food chains and businesses might be interested in Forney, but just simply don’t realize how much Forney has grown and what an incredible opportunity our city could be for them right now? These thoughts gave me an idea - what if we, as a community, voted on our favorite restaurants, the restaurants we’d most like to see open up; this information could then be passed on to decision makers at the selected company, along with economic and demographic information concerning Forney. Who knows, it might not bring a single new restaurant to Forney, but it would at least spark some interest and create some interesting discussions. So, with that chance discussion at Chipotle that day, Forney’s Most Wanted was born! Read on for more details, and to find out how to nominate your favorite sandwich shop or cafe for the first Forney’s Most Wanted poll!
(Read on …)

• Forney’s Most Wanted: Sandwich Shops & Cafes - Voting Now Open

  After a week's worth of open nominations on the Forney Discussion Forums, twelve sandwich shops and cafes...

• Restaurant Roundup - New Restaurants & Changes at a Local Favorite

  Three restaurant-related updates today - Pollo Ranchero is now open in Shafer Plaza; Fat Dawgs, which hopes...

• Chase, Starbucks, Walgreens & Chick-Fil-A

  Whew...I'm almost caught up from being gone for a while there for my wedding and honeymoon. It's...

Starbucks opened last Friday…excellent coffee, great service and friendly people. There’s already a pretty big crowd hanging out there, it’s quickly becoming the place to be. Quizno’s and Double Dave’s have both made very quick progress - both look to be approaching the end of their finish-out and could be opening soon. More updates soon…

• Chick-Fil-A, Starbucks, Double Dave’s Pizza, Water Restrictions & More…

  I'll be glad once Chick-Fil-A is open so that we can all stop guessing when they're opening!...

• Chase, Starbucks, Walgreens & Chick-Fil-A

  Whew...I'm almost caught up from being gone for a while there for my wedding and honeymoon. It's...

• Double Dave’s Pizzaworks Grand Opening - Tuesday 7/10

  Double Dave's will be opening tomorrow, Tuesday, July 10th, with the grand opening celebration beginning at 11AM....